Ayo Olorunfemi, Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party has revisited past comments made by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over threats of violence during Nigeria’s election seasons.
Speaking in an interview on TVC News, Olorunfemi said the remarks which many Nigerians considered inciting, were never met with appropriate sanctions.
He recalled how El-Rufai once declared that foreign election observers who attempted to interfere in Nigeria’s electoral process would be sent back in “body bags.” According to Olorunfemi, this statement should have drawn serious consequences but was ignored.
“The El-Rufai of this world said monkey and baboon will soak in blood. It’s a common saying,” Olorunfemi noted, stressing that such rhetoric had dangerous implications for the country’s fragile democracy. He argued that political leaders should be held accountable for words that could incite violence or intimidate voters.
The Labour Party chieftain added that Nigeria’s electoral system cannot grow if threats of bloodshed are tolerated in political discourse. He questioned why leaders who openly made such statements were not cautioned or investigated, warning that impunity could embolden others to make similar threats in the future.
El-Rufai’s statements, made at different times, had sparked outrage among civil society organizations and opposition figures, who accused him of promoting violence. However, no official sanction or legal action was taken against him, a development that critics like Olorunfemi say undermines efforts to ensure credible and peaceful elections in Nigeria.
Olorunfemi urged stakeholders, including security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that inflammatory remarks from political leaders are addressed decisively, so as to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and protect citizens from election-related violence.
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